The present invention relates to systems for transporting high solids materials such as concrete. In particular, the present invention relates to a concrete pump monitoring system which monitors the operation of a concrete pump and provides its owners and operators with information relating to the operational performance of the pump and generates maintenance and warranty information based upon the operational performance.
Positive displacement pumps are frequently used for conveying concrete and other materials through pipelines in construction applications. An example of a positive displacement pump of this type is shown in Oakley et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,106,272 entitled SLUDGE FLOW MEASURING SYSTEM. Positive displacement pumps offer a number of significant advantages over screw or belt conveyors in the pumping of materials such as concrete. For example, positive displacement pumps are capable of pumping thick, heavy materials which may not be practical for screw conveyors. Pump and pipeline systems also take up less space than screw or belt conveyors and, with the use of simple elbow pipes, are capable of transporting concrete around corners. Additionally, positive displacement pumps offer a reduction in noise over mechanical conveyors, as well as greater cleanliness and reduced spillage.
In concrete pumping applications, it is becoming increasingly necessary to accurately measure the quantity of concrete pumped. Even more importantly, owners must schedule the proper maintenance and replacement of pump and pipeline components prior to a component failure during use. This prevents unnecessary and costly loss of time due to system failures, as well as the inefficient waste of concrete which may become unusable as a result of the delays associated with the failure of a pump or pipeline component. At the same time, for economic reasons, it is desirable to schedule the maintenance and replacement of pump and pipeline components only when necessary.
In the concrete pumping business, pump maintenance is typically scheduled based upon the number of cubic yards of concrete that have been pumped. The pump owner frequently estimates the cubic yardage of concrete pumped by referring to the concrete supplier delivery tickets. Additionally, current methods of scheduling maintenance do not take into account factors such as the type of concrete which has been pumped or the rate at which it was pumped. Different types of concrete have different abrasion characteristics and, when pumped at any given velocity, will cause different amounts of wear, and require different pumping pressures. All of these factors lead to uncertainty as to when maintenance needs to be scheduled. Additionally, these factors make it difficult for pump and pipeline manufacturers to verify warranty related information.